Author archives: Faith Matters

Opinion: Conspiracy Theories and the Pied Pipers of Hate
September 3, 2018 By Faith Matters

Opinion: Conspiracy Theories and the Pied Pipers of Hate

The slide into a bizarre world of believing conspiracy theories and voicing openly toxic and bigoted views took place slowly over the last decade whilst many of us were not able to fathom how quickly and extensively social media had taken charge of our lives. As the Founder and previous Director of Tell MAMA, which […]

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Kuwait: Emir announces visit to Washington for talks
September 3, 2018 By Faith Matters

Kuwait: Emir announces visit to Washington for talks

Kuwait’s ruler will travel to Washington on Monday for a working visit and hold talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, the state news agency KUNA announced on Sunday. The White House said in a statement the leaders would discuss trade, investment and security cooperation in their Sept. 5 meeting. Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah has […]

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Iran: Khamenei says war unlikely but urges defence boost
September 3, 2018 By Faith Matters

Iran: Khamenei says war unlikely but urges defence boost

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday war was unlikely but called on Iran’s armed forces to boost their defence capacities, according to his official website, as the country faces increased tension with the United States. On Saturday, Iran announced plans to boost its ballistic and cruise missile capacity and acquire modern fighter […]

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Germany: Two policemen suspended over Nazi salute
September 3, 2018 By Faith Matters

Germany: Two policemen suspended over Nazi salute

Police in Germany’s southern state of Bavaria are investigating two officers suspected of performing the illegal Hitler salute. The German constitution makes it a crime to exhibit Nazi symbols and the incident is likely to feed into a heated debate about racism and the rise of the far right after a record influx of mainly […]

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China: Newspaper blames West for encouraging Xinjiang extremists
September 3, 2018 By Faith Matters

China: Newspaper blames West for encouraging Xinjiang extremists

Turbulence in China’s restive far western region of Xinjiang has been caused by “external factors”, a state-run newspaper said Saturday in an editorial responding to calls by a group of U.S. lawmakers for sanctions on Chinese officials. “Western accusations of Xinjiang governance seriously misled the extremists, making them believe they were launching religious Jihad and […]

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U.K.: Briton jailed for life over plot to kill Prime Minister
August 31, 2018 By Faith Matters

U.K.: Briton jailed for life over plot to kill Prime Minister

A British man was sentenced to life in prison on Friday over a plot to kill Prime Minister Theresa May by first detonating an explosive device to get into her Downing Street office and then using a knife or a gun to attack her. Naa’imur Rahman, 21, of north London, planned to detonate an improvised […]

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Tell MAMA Annual Report 2017: ‘Beyond the Incident’
August 31, 2018 By Faith Matters

Tell MAMA Annual Report 2017: ‘Beyond the Incident’

Beyond the Incident: Highest Number of Annual Reports Logged by Tell MAMA Since Launch in 2012 Director of Tell MAMA, Iman Atta OBE says, “We are in deeply worrying times where people are looking for certainty and what they are getting is instability at a political and societal level. This means that at times like this, […]

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Pakistan: Critics fear Islamism rise as new minister bans ‘vulgar’ billboards
August 31, 2018 By Faith Matters

Pakistan: Critics fear Islamism rise as new minister bans ‘vulgar’ billboards

Punjab’s new information minister, Islamist politician Fayaz-ul-Hasan Chohan, has announced a ban on “vulgar” movie billboards in the Pakistani province, angering those who fear the growing influence of hardliners under new Prime Minister Imran Khan. Since Khan’s party appointed him last week, Chohan has caused a number of rows, including with his visit to the […]

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China: CCTV cameras and eviction for a ‘house church’ in Beijing
August 31, 2018 By Faith Matters

China: CCTV cameras and eviction for a ‘house church’ in Beijing

The Zion Church in Beijing, one of the city’s largest unofficial Protestant “house” churches, has operated with relative freedom for years, hosting hundreds of worshippers every weekend in an expansive, specially renovated hall in north Beijing. But in April, city authorities asked the church to install 24 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in the building for […]

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UK: Foreign minister attacks Google over ‘child abuse content’
August 31, 2018 By Faith Matters

UK: Foreign minister attacks Google over ‘child abuse content’

British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt accused Google on Thursday of abandoning its moral values by failing to remove child abuse content while launching a version of its search engine in China that will block some websites. The British government has repeatedly criticized online platforms such as Twitter, YouTube and Facebook for failing to remove abusive […]

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